1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an identifier that is prepared separately from a specimen and facilitates identification of the specimen when the specimen is subjected to analysis by amplifying a specific region of the specimen, and a primer set using the identifier. The present invention also relates to a specimen storing method, a nucleic acid amplification method and a test method of the results of the amplification, each of these methods using the identifier.
2. Description of the Related Art
As an identification method of a genome DNA sample, known are the identification procedures in which specific repeat sequences such as short tandem repeat sequences and minisatellite sequences are utilized as indicators (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H06-205700). Additionally, a systematic management method of specimen numbers in specimen processing processes has been actualized by automating the processes (Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. H05-288754).
In genetic testing of a disease-related gene and a drug metabolism-related gene, these genes having recently been targeted in pharmacogenomics, a genotyping technique which tests the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) has attracted attention. In this connection, predominantly used are a method in which a partial sequence containing a polymorphism is amplified, the polymorphism-containing sequence is hybridized with a complementary probe, and whether or not the hybridization is successful is identified, and a method in which genotyping of the polymorphism is carried out by applying a one base extension reaction to the polymorphism site. Accordingly, for the purpose of managing a genome DNA itself as a specimen, it is necessary to always maintain consistent management codes through all the processes from the amplification process of a partial sequence to the final test process for determining the gene. Further, when a part of a DNA specimen is amplified to be tested, the same region is not necessarily amplified from the specimen, sometimes the amplification of the desired part may be unsuccessful, and hence it has been always necessary to examine whether or not the amplification of the desired part is attained.